Placer-machine.



LBERGER.

PLACER MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 18, 1913.

1,093,760. Patented Apr. .21, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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WITNESSES: v INVENTOR W 9 M A/wzt A TTOR/VEY J BERGER.

PLAGER MAOHINE.

APPLICATION PILBDPEB. 1a, 1913.

Patented Apr. 21, 191i 2 SHEETS-SHEBT2.

v WITNESSES:

' v lNl/E/VTOR A TTOR/VEY \JOLUMBIA PLANOURAPH c0..wAsH|NuTON. n. c.

JOHN BERGER, 0F SAi JT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

PLACER-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

Application filed. February 18, 1913. Serial No. 749,272.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN BERGER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Salt Lake City and county, State of Utah, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Placer-Machines, of which the fol-v lowing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for use with water for separating gold and other precious metals from the silt, gravel and sand.

The object of my invention is to improve on placer machines now in use and to provide a more etlicient machine and one that will extract all of the precious metals from the refuse in which it is contained. I accomplish these objects by the devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a sluice having sumps, cups or pockets in the bottom thereof. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the same thing. Fig. A is a plan view of the same thing. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the riddle. Fig. 6 is a section of the riddle. Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view and Fig. 8 is a longitudinal view.

It will be observed that I have taken the well known placer machine and have added thereto the following improvements: Stirring lugs on a centrifugal pump: An endless belt of burlap or other suitable material, which strains water poured upon it but permits the water to pass through the same and carries off the waste, and also the sluice shown in Fig. 4 with its sumps or containing cups.

As nothing is claimed for the ordinary parts of the placer machine they are not expressly illustrated in the drawings or described in this specification.

Referring now to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows a placer machine comprising the supporting frame 1 having at one end the elevator 2, which elevates the gravel containing the precious metal and dumps it into the riddle 3. This riddle is sup-ported by the hook A and oscillated by the crank B revolving with a shaft supported trans versely of the machine and between the angle irons C C. Different meshes may be used so that if there are indications of nuggets, a riddle containing a larger mesh sulficient to permit the nuggets to fall through may then be used. The refuse gravel falls down at the end A upon the dump. The finer particles of sand, silt and gold fall down upon the slope 5, containing the ordinaryrifiles 5. These riflies catch a quantity of the gold carried by the pulp washing down the slope, the tank 6 being filled with water by any convenient means. A portion of the pulp finally finds its way to the bottom of the tank 6, where there is provided the centrifugal pump 7 with its outlet pipe '8 and inlet 8.

The pump may consist of a helical coil of pipe having an opening on the outside on the periphery and its inside end opening'into the hollow shaft 8, with which as an axle, the pump revolves, being driven by a belt from the motor passing around the drive pulley D. This pump being revolved with the outer opening of the pipe foremost, the liquid in the tank in which the pump is immersed will be forced into the pipe and, following its coils, emerge in the center into the hollow shaft and thereafter flow up the outlet flue.

In order to keep the pulp stirred up in the bottom of said tank, I have provided the lugs 9, 9, which during the revolution of the pump 7 keep the pulp agitated. The pulp that is drawn in through the action of the pump from the bottom of the tank passes upward through the pipe 8, and hence emptiesinto the spreader of flush box 10. Here it impinges upon the bottom 11 of the said spreader and flows out and spreads over the endless burlap belt 12. This belt is of such texture as to permit the water to pass through, while the particles of sand and silt are carried along until the belt passes downward whence it falls upon the dump.

Any particles of sand and silt held in solution by water and fine enough to pass through the interstices of the burlap belt fall into the sluice way 13, which is set at an incline so that the water containing this refuse is carried along my gravity and turning the corner at 14 passes over the sumps 15 placed in the bottom of the said sluice. As the motion of the water is slow, the heavy particles are given an opportunity to settle to the bottom in these sumps or cups. The water passes around the corner 16 and flows through a portion of the sluice marked 17 into the tank 6 again, thence down to the bottom of the tank 6 to be there again mixed with the pulp, thus using the same water over and over again. To remove the dirt from the sumps 15, I provide the slides 18 in the bottoms thereof. It Will thus be seen that the gold Will be caught and retained in the rifiies placed on the slope 5, and in the bottom of the tank and the fine refuse in the sumps l5 and that the same Water can be used over and over.

Having thus described my invention What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A placer machine comprising in combination, a tank having an inclined riflied bot tom, a settling compartment in proximity to the lower end of the bottom, a screen overlying the tank, means for feeding gravel con- I taining gold thereto, discharging and elevating'means in the settling compartment, a straining means overlying the tank and screen adapted to receive material from said discharging and elevating means, and having a mesh adapted to freely pass Water, a chute under said straining means provided With collecting pockets for fine silt passing through the straining means and having its discharge end positioned to deliver the Water to'the tank over the inclined bottom.

'2. A place-r machine comprising in combination, a tank having an inclined rifiied bottom, a settling compartment in proximity to the lower end of the bottom, agitating and elevating means in the settling compartment, a straining means overlying the tank and screen adapted to receive material from said agitating and elevating means, and having a mesh adapted to freely pass Water, a chute under said straining means provided With collecting pockets for fine silt passing through the straining means having its discharge end positioned to deliver the Water to the tank over the inclined bottom.

3. In combination with a placer machine having a settling tank containing water containing silt and particles of gold, discharging and elevating means, an endless belt of fibrous material revolving upon a system of pulleys, said belt being placed below the said discharging means and above the said settling tank, a chute between the said settling tank and the said fibrous belt provided with collecting pockets for fine silt passing through the straining means and having its discharging end positioned to deliver water to the settling compartment.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 12th day of February, 1913.

JOHN BERGER. lVitnesses R. C. F ABNOW, F. B. Sco'rT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

